Former Rangers forward Kevin Hayes, the two-way center who spent four-plus years on Broadway at the start of his career, retired after just five games in the KHL, he announced in a statement posted by the league Monday.
“I have decided to end my hockey career,” Hayes, 34, said in the statement. “I can no longer play at the level I am capable of because my body does not allow me to perform at my best. And I cannot accept not being in top form.”
After logging 28 games in Pittsburgh last year, Hayes inked a deal with AK Bars Kazan in August. Less than a month later, he retired without recording a point in his five games.
He skated 13:10 during the team’s most recent game on Sept. 18, and AK Bars Kazan’s next game was set for Monday night.
New York Rangers’ Kevin Hayes (13) reacts after scoring his first NHL goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014. Paul J. Bereswill
Hayes was an All-Star in the 2022-23 season with the Flyers, and he had stints with the Jets, Flyers, Blues and Penguins after the Blueshirts sent him to Winnipeg in 2019.
Throughout the early stages of his career, though, Hayes carved out a key role with the Rangers after originally getting drafted by the Blackhawks — No. 24 overall in 2010 — but signing his entry-level deal with the Blueshirts instead.
Hayes collected 87 goals and 216 points across 361 regular-season games with the Rangers, along with another two goals and 10 points in 34 playoff games.
He delivered plenty of vintage moments, too. As a rookie, his overtime winner in Game 4 of his first postseason series gave the Rangers a 3-1 series lead over the Penguins.
New York Rangers’ Kevin Hayes (13) celebrates scoring a goal in the third period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. Paul J. Bereswill
In the next round, his game-tying goal on the power play in the second period of Game 7 paved the way for Derek Stepan’s heroics against the Capitals.
But Hayes, a former Boston College star, was ultimately sent to the Jets at the deadline in 2019 in exchange for a first-round pick, Brendan Lemieux and a conditional fourth-round pick that never amounted to anything — since the Jets didn’t win the Stanley Cup that year.
Hayes went on to skate in 861 total games across his NHL career, finishing with 193 goals and 470 points.
For two periods Sunday night, the Utah Mammoth looked like the team in control.
Utah dictated the pace for much of the preseason matchup, spending long stretches with the puck and keeping the Colorado Avalanche from finding much rhythm offensively. But a few costly mistakes in the third period changed everything, turning what had been a competitive game into a 4-1 Avalanche victory.
The Mammoth entered the final period tied 1-1, having done plenty to keep one of the NHL’s deeper lineups in check.
Colorado opened the scoring in the second period when Beckett Hamilton found the back of the net, but Yegor Borikob answered to keep the game even heading into the final 20 minutes.
The Avalanche received solid goaltending throughout the night. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped all seven shots he faced before yielding the crease to highly touted prospect Ilya Nabokov, who turned aside 16 of the 17 shots he saw.
Utah’s Sebastian Cossa matched that effort early, looking composed in his first preseason appearance with the Mammoth. He tracked the puck well, handled traffic in front of him and consistently directed dangerous rebounds away from the middle of the ice.
The Mammoth also got encouraging performances from several of their young skaters.
Caleb Desnoyers looked comfortable in his first preseason action, playing a responsible game at both ends of the rink and winning 66% of his faceoffs. The fourth-overall pick from the 2025 NHL Draft also showed his willingness to compete physically and make plays away from the puck.
Gabe Smith’s line was another bright spot for Utah. The group repeatedly created pressure in the offensive zone, held onto possession and generated several chances throughout the night. Smith scored Utah’s lone goal.
Then the game began to slip away.
Gavin Brindley put Colorado ahead early in the third period before Brock Nelson added another, giving the Avalanche breathing room as Utah struggled to regain the control it had enjoyed for much of the night.
Taylor Makar, the younger brother of Avalanche superstar Cale Makar, added the final blow to seal the 4-1 victory.
The score ultimately favored Colorado, but the night offered plenty for Utah to take away. The Mammoth controlled the puck for much of the game and showed flashes from several young players. Once the mistakes started piling up, however, the Avalanche were more than happy to make them pay.
Oklahoma City's Zach Ehrhard drives in a run during a minor league baseball game between the Oklahoma City Comets and the Albuquerque Isotopes at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Friday, March 27, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
The Oklahoma City Comets closed out their regular season with a 2-1 win over the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres).
Center fielder Alek Thomas had two of Oklahoma City’s eight hits, and his triple drove in the winning run in the eighth inning, allowing the Comets to finish at 89-50, the best record in the Pacific Coast League.
Outfielder Zach Ehrhard hit his 30th double of the season and walked. He scored both runs for Oklahoma City on Sunday, padding his PCL-leading total to 120 runs scored on the season. Ehrhard finished his season hitting .291/.400/.472 with 20 home runs, 28 steals, and 94 walks.
Erhard’s 120 runs scored are the most by a Dodgers minor leaguer since Albuquerque Dukes outfielder Lemmie Miller scored 122 runs in 1983.
League leaders
James Tibbs III led the PCL in walks (108), extra-base hits (65, tied with Rockies prospect Zac Veen), and total bases (278), and was second in home runs (30), RBI (107), and runs scored (109).
Ryan Fitzgerald led the PCL in hits (172), including one on Sunday, and doubles (35), and was third in RBI (102). Ehrhard (155) and Tibbs (150) were second and third in hits.
Cole Irvin, who pitched Saturday, led the PCL in ERA (3.33) and wins (12), and his 137 2/3 innings ranked second, two outs shy of the league leader.
Keeping options open
Hyeseong Kim was hitless in four at-bats on Sunday, and finished his regular season hitting just .262/.330/.345 in Triple-A. That was good for only a 79 wRC+ before his 0-for-4 Sunday, after hitting just .259/.323/.328 with an 83 wRC+ in 43 games with the Dodgers this season.
Still, the Dodgers aren’t yet ruling out Kim as a potential speedster off the bench, with the ability to play both middle infield spots well in addition to time in center field and even at third base in Triple-A this season.
“My expectation is he will be here in the off week, and potentially be in the conversation for the postseason because he has the ability to run, play defense, and steal a base,” manager Dave Roberts said Sunday. “I don’t think his offense has been consistent. For us, the at-bat quality that Alex Freeland has been giving us has been very good, he gets on base. For Hyeseong, just trying to find something consistent and to perform consistently. To be quite honest, he just hasn’t been as consistent as he can be, but if he can get more consistent with the bat, he can be a big piece.”
Transactions
Emmet Sheehan was called up to the Dodgers, as was reliever Kyle Hurt. Right-hander Seth Halvorsen was optioned to Oklahoma City.
Game 1, Tuesday: Oklahoma City at Las Vegas Game 2, Wednesday: Oklahoma City at Las Vegas Game 3*, Thursday: Oklahoma City at Las Vegas *if necessary
If the Comets win the PCL title, they would advance to play in the Triple-A championship next Saturday, September 26 on MLB Network, playing the International League champion, a battle between Rochester and Memphis.
DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 1: Easton McGee #51 of the Kansas City Royals rubs down a ball as he pitches in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 1, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 Kansas City Royals have a lot of good things going for them. Bobby Witt Jr. is great. Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone are two of the most exciting young talents in the league. Only injuries could dim Maikel Garcia’s budding stardom. Noah Cameron is the best Royals starting pitcher the Royals have developed in a decade and a half. Michael Massey and Nick Loftin made big steps forward.
But the Royals are going to lose at least 90 games this season because that core can’t compensate for the rest of the team being bad. Yes, the Royals need to have some difficult conversations that I don’t really have faith they’ll approach with an open mind—namely, that the team is better when Salvador Perez doesn’t play, and that Vinnie Pasquantino is not part of the core anymore. However, we can all agree on one thing, which is that the bullpen is terrible and it needs an overhaul.
And when I say it needs an overhaul, it needs a total, complete overhaul. Kansas City needs to be buying in bulk in the offseason.
If you haven’t been paying attention because the NFL has started, you’re not the only one, but suffice to say that the Royals have been on a skid, losing 14 of their last 19 games. While it hasn’t all been because of the bullpen, the bullpen has borne the brunt of the responsibility.
Yesterday, it was Nate Pearson giving up a single on a four-seam fastball up in the zone and not quite getting a slider low enough, a pitch which was tagged for a two-run home run.
On Saturday, it was Steven Cruz tossing a middle-middle cutter to a guy with a career .233 isolated slugging percentage.
On Friday, it was Pearson leaving a four-seam fastball up in the zone after also being responsible for the other two batters on base and a previous run in the inning:
The previous Sunday, it was Craig Kimbrel walking two and then Connor Thomas not quite getting a sweeper down enough in the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox.
One day earlier, it was Anthony Gose throwing a middle-middle fastball to guy with a career .206 ISO.
And the triumvirate of bullpen awfulness happened on Tuesday, September 8. In the eighth inning, Thomas gave up consecutive singles to kick off the inning and then allowed a sacrifice fly on a mediocre cutter…
Just in the last two weeks, that’s eight times the bullpen gave up a go-ahead run or go-ahead runs in the sixth inning or later. The Royals lost all six of those games. And in none of those cases was the bullpen trying to clean up a mess of the starting pitching’s making—it was all them.
I can only imagine what it feels like to be a Royals hitter or starting pitcher with the bullpen the way that it is. The amount of pressure that puts on the rest of the team must be intense. Yes, Jac Caglianone said that punching something in the dugout and cutting his hand was because he was frustrated at his own performance. While that might be true, I can’t help but wonder how much better of a headspace he and the other hitters would be in if they didn’t have to try and play hero ball every game. Since August 29th, the Royals have won a game where they scored fewer than five runs once.
And the biggest problem here is that there is no one person responsible. Five different guys—Pearson, Kruz, Kimbrel, Thomas, and Gose—were involved in the above examples. As a unit, 23 different guys have thrown at least five innings for the bullpen; 14 of them have been tagged with at least one loss, 10 have an ERA of 5.00 or higher, nine have had at least one blown save, and only one has struck out a quarter or more batters faced.
You could look at the Royals and say, “Man, if it’s just the bullpen, that’s fixable!” Unfortunately, the issue is that the Royals probably need to go out and find 10-15 new bullpen arms next year if they want to find a few that aren’t bad.
Seriously; look at the list of pitchers the Royals have used in the bullpen this year and tell me who can be relied on moving forward. Do you want Alex Lange and his sky high career walk rate back? Trust a 32-year-old Lucas Erceg after posting a K-BB% of 1.4% next year? Any interest in Mason Black (career 5.53 ERA) or Connor Seaboldt (career 7.36 ERA)? Think a 39-year-old Craig Kimbrel can hold down a big league job?
There are, genuinely, only two guys who you can mark down as probably being able to contribute semi-competent innings next year. Daniel Lynch IV is one, and one of the only genuinely good bullpen arms on the team. Steven Cruz is another, though not in a closer role.
Outside of that, you cannot convince me that any one of those other 21 guys would be a net benefit to Kansas City if they pitched a single inning for the team in 2027 (non-injured division). So here’s hoping Costco has a sale on arms, because the Royals need to be shopping the aisles hard.
NORTH PORT, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 20: Robert Suarez #75 of the Atlanta Braves poses for a photo during Spring Training photo day at CoolToday Park on February 20, 2026 in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
(75-75) Indianapolis Indians 9, (76-73) Gwinnett Stripers 6
Patrick Clohisy, RF: 1-for-5, SB, .340/.420/.483
David McCabe, 1B: 4-for-4, R, RBI, .319/.362/.505
Jordan Groshans, DH: 1-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, .226/.305/.491
A furious late rally was undone with three runs in the ninth as the Stripers drop the season finale to the Indianapolis Indians 9-6.
The Stripers ended the season with the bullpen game after the promotions of JR Ritchie, and Owen Murphy, and turned to the recently signed Michael Grove (1.1IP 2H 2ER 1BB 2K) got the start and worked an effective first inning, working around a walk and stolen base to put up a 0. He came out in the second and gave back-to-back singles before being replaced by the rehabbing Joe Jiménez who allowed both inherited runs to score as well as another run in the inning. Jiménez struggled with his overall stuff with a non-sharp slider, and low velocity on his four-seam (92-93) but that is to be expected, of course, as he hasn’t pitched in games since 2024. So while the results weren’t great, it was still fantastic to see him out there on the mound. He was replaced by Robert Suarez who came out guns blazing – sitting 96-97 with his four-seam fastball. He allowed a double on a changeup left up high but got the final batter of the inning out on the very next pitch. Ricky Vanasco (1IP 1H 1R 0ER 1BB 1K) replaced Suarez who allowed one run to score on a sacrifice fly. Elieser Hernández (2IP 3H 2ER 0BB 0K) and gave up a solo home run in his first inning, and a lead off triple that would come around to score in his second inning of work. Following Elieser the Stripers turned to Tyler Uberstine (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 1K) the following inning and needed just 13 pitches to get out of the inning as he pounded the zone. Uberstine would be replaced by Danny Young (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 0K) was even more efficient – needing just 9 total pitches in a scoreless inning of work. Unfortunately for the Stripers after Danny Young they turned to James Karinchak (1IP 3H 3ER 2BB 1K) who picked up the loss, surrendering three earned runs in the top of the 9th inning.
Offensively the Stripers got off to a hot start with Patrick Clohisy reaching on error, stealing second, and coming in to score from a Jim Jarvis single. After that, it was really tough sledding. They grounded into a pair of double plays, got picked off of second, and overall looked very lack luster. Everything then changed again in the sixth inning – and it all came with two outs. David McCabe got it started with a single, and was then driven in by Jordan Groshans.
Brett Wisely would follow up the Groshans double with a double of his own, scoring another run and putting the Stripers down three runs at the time. After a Lizandro Espinoza walk, and subsequent double steal, Maverick Handley drove two in with a single of his own making it a one run game. The following inning the Stripers would tie it with a David McCabe single that scored Luke Williams. Unfortunately they would ultimately fall, dropping the season finale, and ultimately ending the minor league season for the Atlanta Braves.
With all of that said – I wanted to thank each and every one of you for all of the time you spent reading and engaging with our community. It was an incredible season with tons of highlights and it looks like it’s only going to get better next year. The minor league content doesn’t end here though – we do have another year end season review, finale updated top 30, as well as Arizona Fall League coverage.
Injury news was on the top of everyone’s mind Sunday afternoon in Chicago. If you are both a Cubs and Bears fan, you were probably more concerned about the injury news than this game. Hopefully, both injured Chicago sports stars avoided any of the worst potential outcomes of rough looking injuries. I once had a facial injury from a struck ball. Mine had a whole different trajectory, but I can absolutely attest to how much the cut above my eye bled. While I physically felt fine (needing 12 stitches along the eyebrow line), I bled more than I could possibly have imagined. So I wasn’t surprised at all with Alex Bregman going straight to the locker room on that. The injury looks bad, but if the orbital bone is intact, I would assume he should be fine in a few days. With the playoffs all but clinched and Pedro Ramirez’s stated best position being third, I could imagine giving Alex Bregman the first two games of the Marlins series off. Obviously, you want to get him back on the proverbial horse, but the thing that matters most is him being ready to go a week from Tuesday.
Between the lines, the news was better. Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cub offense jumped on the Reds early and David Peterson and three relievers made sure they didn’t need all of that in a runaway win. I had said that a lopsided one would be nice heading into the last week and I’m glad that came to be. On both sides of the ball, what I said in the preview happened. Peterson locked in early (he’s either been very good or very bad) and the Cubs made former first round pick Rhett Lowder work hard and forced him to throw strikes. That was the perfect recipe on Sunday afternoon for the 87th win of the season. They needed it too, as all of the other NL Wild Card hopefuls won Sunday. The Diamondbacks did what they needed to in order to stay alive, but the clock is running out on them and they face elimination early in the week.
PCA was the big story of the day. He extended his Cub lefty homer record in a season to 45. It’s also the most homers by an under 25 player in Cub history. Taking numbers away from Billy Williams and Ernie Banks suggests a spectacular early career path. He also stole a base and needs just two steals in the last week to reach the hallowed ground of 40/40. He pulled into a tie with Kyle Schwarber for the most homers in baseball. I’d hope it was over weeks ago, but PCA should be creeping towards unanimous MVP. You are being pretty stubborn at this point to vote for anyone else. I remember saying he had to get well past Shohei Ohtani in order to win the award and he’s definitely done that. His five-tool play should net that MVP, no questions asked. I know the RBI stat has fallen out of favor, but he’s four off of the major league lead there. He already leads in runs scored. It’s getting to where he is first or just outside of first in every offensive statistic while also being one of the best defensive players in the league and arguably the best.
One of the things about PCA is that he isn’t per se streaky. He was 0-for-10 across the first two games of this series. But he had a big game last Wednesday against the Braves and then another Sunday. With two terrible days in between. One of the key skills of star players is the ability to not get into prolonged slumps and to be able to get very hot, very quickly. He has been such an incredible joy to watch this season.
A hat tip to the rest of the Cub offense. They had 13 hits in total and drew four walks. They slugged three homers off of Reds reliever Carson Spiers who had a terrible day on the mound. Kudos to the Reds for throwing an actual pitcher in the ninth inning while eight runs down.
An off day now ahead of the final six games of the season.
Three Positives:
It’s gotta be Pete. Homer, double, single, stolen base, three runs, two runs driven in. Simply the Best this season.
David Peterson. Blessed with a lead before he ever took the mound and then a five run lead after three, he attacked and struck out seven while allowing three hits and a walk. I saw an incredible statistic on the broadcast. He’s actually getting a few less ground balls than he did in New York. But, the opponent’s batting average on ground balls is around 100 points lower as a Cub. Cub defense is incredible and it is a nice pairing. Don’t be surprised if some guys who allow a lot of grounders try to find a way to Chicago.
Pedro Ramirez had three hits in the game, drove in two runs and scored another. He could be very important for a few days and it isn’t hard to imagine him taking a key plate appearance or two in the postseason. Quite a debut for him.
Game 156, September 20: Cubs 9, Reds 1 (87-69)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
Hero: David Peterson (.145). 6 IP, 22 BF, 3 H, BB, R, 7 K (W 6-2)
Sidekick: Alex Bregman (.118). 1-1, BB, RBI, R
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.048). 1-5, HR, RBI, R
Goat: Miguel Amaya (-.033). 0-4
Kid: Michael Conforto (-.022). 1-5, HR, RBI, R
Notes: Since there seem to always be questions about hitters with a homer and negative WPA, Michael Conforto’s was worth .044 (but his earlier strikeout with the bases loaded was -.043) and Seiya’s homer was .002.
WPA Play of the Game: Pedro Ramirez batted with the bases loaded and two outs with the Cubs up three in the third. He singled, driving in a run. (.088)
Reds Play of the Game: With runners at second and third and two outs in the first inning, the Cubs up one, Rhett Lowder got Nico Hoerner to ground out. (.052).
Note: 10 of 79 plays in this game registered as .000.
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 155 Winner: Daniel Palencia received 60 of 47 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Alex Bregman +26
Pete Crow-Armstrong +25.5
Carson Kelly +17.5
Shōta Imanaga +15
Ben Brown +13.5
Jameson Taillon -13
Nico Hoerner -16
Dansby Swanson -17
Caleb Thielbar -17.5
Seiya Suzuki -20
Scoreboard Watching: As noted in the open, all four remaining Wild Card hopefuls won. With each team having six games remaining, the Cubs and Padres are tied (Cubs have the tiebreaker), the Phillies one back and the Diamondbacks three back of Philadelphia. Further, all four teams are off on Monday (as much of the NL is). The Phillies are technically in the worst spot of the three teams currently in the wild card spots, but also have all six games at home. The Diamondbacks finish with a six-game road trip, though it starts in Colorado where the Rockies will again lose 100 games and finish with the worst record in the league. The Phillies host the Brewers, who have won eight of 10 and haven’t let up yet. It should be an interesting final week.
Up Next: That off day Monday and then the Cubs will start having one eye on the playoffs the following week. Their margin is so slim, that they don’t really have any choice other than to make sure their three starters of choice are lined up to throw the three games. Of course, there is immense value in the top Wild Card, so they’ll still fight to the finish for that. But among the six likely playoff teams, there’s no real easy out. The Phillies might be the worst of the six right now today, but some would have had them in the top three a week or so ago.
The Cubs took two out of three from the Marlins (76-80) just over two weeks ago. The Marlins are putting up a fight down the stretch, but also coming up short a lot. Offensively, they are eighth in OPS, though only 23rd in homers. They are second in steals. On the Pitching side, they are 19th in strikeouts, ninth in opponent average and 14th in WHIP. So they are above average offensively and slightly above average pitching. The core of a competitive team exists.
Shōta Imanaga (11-10, 3.80) will start the opener. He’s won his last three starts. allowing four runs over 18 innings, throwing exactly six innings in each. One of those wins was against the Marlins in Miami. The deal is the same as it always is. Keep the ball in the park and he’s incredibly effective because he doesn’t really walk anyone and doesn’t allow a ton of hits. He struck out eight in his last one and the Cubs actually visited the mound during a stretch where he was rolling. I think they are watching very carefully to make sure he’s not tipping pitches and I suspect that’s been a problem of his.
30-year-old Janson Junk (6-9, 4.50) starts for the Marlins. The right hander has just 60 big league appearances and 46 starts at the age of 30. The vast majority of that work is the last two years for the Marlins, a rebuilding team. He’s been a bit worse this year. He was the opposing pitcher and got the loss in that game against Imanaga a few weeks ago. The Cubs didn’t do much with him, though: One run on three hits and a walk. Maybe the second time will be the charm. The Mets were the most recent team to see him for a second time. They put up eight runs in three innings against him. But, just before that he saw the Nationals twice in the span of eight days and the results were almost identical. His 75 pitches against the Cubs last time were the most pitches he’d made in a game since August 17. So expect about four or five innings.
The Marlin bullpen has the lowest opponent batting average allowed. So you want to get to the starter. The weakness of their pen is that they have the 12th most walks allowed. They’ve allowed close to 50 more walks than the Cub bullpen (in only nine more innings).
If the Cub offense does what it does, work consistent plate appearances, start to finish, and Imanaga keeps the ball in the park, I think the Cubs can put together a little streak here.
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 31: Samuel Basallo #29 of the Baltimore Orioles congratulates Colton Cowser #17 after Cowser hit a three-run home run in the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 31, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After sweeping the Mets early last week, the Orioles returned to Baltimore with a clear goal: win their series against the MLB-best Brewers and keep themselves in the playoff race. Instead, Milwaukee won a back-and-forth, extra-inning affair in Game 1 and proceeded to shut out the Orioles over the next 18 innings to sweep Baltimore and put the O’s on the brink of elimination in the Wild Card race.
The math has become very simple for Baltimore. Any combination of two White Sox wins, two Orioles losses or a White Sox win and an Orioles loss eliminates the O’s from postseason contention. This means that Baltimore needs to go 6-0 or 5-1 the rest of the way, while Chicago goes 1-5 or 0-6. The Orioles also need the Astros to lose at least 4 of their last 6 or the Rangers to lose at least five of their last 6.
The O’s open their last home series today against Toronto before closing out the regular season with a three game set in the Bronx. Given that Baltimore is 2-8 against the Yankees, sweeping the Blue Jays (and hoping Chicago loses their series in Kansas City) is the only “realistic” way to keep the Orioles’ postseason hopes alive just a little longer.
The first of three must-win games vs. Toronto starts with a matchup of the unluckiest pitcher in baseball vs. Toronto’s rookie phenom. Baz has largely been successful in his first season with the Orioles, leading all of Baltimore’s starters with 173 innings while placing second with a 3.61 FIP and 152 Ks. However, his complete lack of run support (3.35 runs/game—third-worst in baseball) has doomed Baz to an MLB-leading 15 losses.
The 27-year-old right-hander has faced Toronto once before this season, in a game that epitomized his lack of luck throughout 2026. Back in June, Baz pitched 5.2 innings in Toronto, allowing 1 earned run and 4 unearned runs in a 6-4 Orioles loss. That game turned on a Gunnar Henderson E6 in the 6th inning, with the error sparking a rally that turned a 4-1 Orioles lead into a 5-4 deficit.
Baz has been strong over his last five starts in Camden Yards, posting a 3.85 ERA while averaging 6+ IP per start. Ironically, the better that Baz has pitched, the worse the Orioles’ record at Camden Yards. In the four starts where Baz allowed 3 ER or fewer, the Orioles went 0-4. Last time out against the Guardians, he allowed 5 ER over 5.2 innings in a 9-5 Orioles win.
The boom-or-bust Baltimore bats will need to solve rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage. The 23-year-old will be making his first start since August 4th after landing on the IL with a knee injury. Yesavage faced Baltimore in back-to-back starts at the end of May/beginning of June. The outing in Baltimore went the rookie’s way, as he tossed 5 innings while allowing 2 hits, 1 ER and striking out seven. His start six days later in Toronto was not as good, with a final line of 5.2, 5 H, 6 ER, 5 Ks and this majestic home run from Coby Mayo.
Game 2: Tuesday, September 22nd, 6:35pm ET
Probable pitchers: RHP Chris Bassitt (8-5, 4.64 ERA, 72 Ks) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (3-8, 6.07 ERA, 54 Ks)
Where to watch: MASN/MASN+
By virtue of the fact that the White Sox and Guardians do not play on Monday, Tuesday is the earliest day the Orioles could be officially eliminated from playoff contention. Birdland will cling to that hope for a miracle as they watch former Blue Jay Chris Bassitt face future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer.
The Orioles’ 37-year-old right-hander has played his best baseball of the season since coming off the IL in the middle of August. Over his last seven outings, Bassitt has a 3.76 ERA and has held opponents to a .269 average. His best start was his last start against another former team, as Bassitt pitched 6.2 innings of one-run ball against the Mets in a 7-1 Orioles win. Two starts ago, the 12-year vet faced the Blue Jays in Toronto, guiding the O’s to a victory with a solid line of 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB and 5 Ks.
Scherzer may be headed to Cooperstown one day, but his potential final season has been largely forgettable. The Orioles tagged him for six runs over five innings in Toronto 10 days ago, including a leadoff home run from Dylan Beavers. The Orioles have struggled all season to get production from their outfielders, but we could see that trend reverse against Scherzer, as Beavers and Colton Cowser have combined to 5-for-11 with three long balls against the eight-time All-Star.
Game 3: Wednesday, September 23rd, 6:35pm ET
Probable pitchers: TBD vs. TBD
Where to watch: MASN/MASN+
Neither the Blue Jays nor Orioles have announced a starter for the series finale and their decision could largely depend on whether either team is still alive for postseason contention. If the White Sox win their first game in Kansas City and the Blue Jays win at least one of the first two games, the Orioles would come in eliminated from postseason contention. If the Orioles win Game 1 & 2 and the White Sox win their opener vs. the Royals, the Blue Jays would be eliminated from postseason contention.
This used to be Kyle Bradish’s spot in the rotation before he landed on the IL with a sports hernia. Last time through, the Orioles recalled Cade Povich and he delivered 3.2 innings while allowing 3 runs while taking a no decision vs. Milwaukee. Despite Povich’s career ERA of 6.91 vs. Toronto, I’d expect the Orioles to try to bring him back up on Wednesday if they still have a shot at the playoffs, which would require putting someone on the IL. Other options could be a spot start from Albert Suárez or Trey Gibson, with each becoming more likely if the O’s are already eliminated.
This would normally be Dylan Cease’s spot in the Toronto rotation. If the Blue Jays still have a sliver of hope about making the postseason, Cease will surely get the ball. In his only start against Baltimore this year, the 2026 All-Star was his usaully sharp self, limiting the Orioles to 1 run across 5 innings while striking out nine.
At one point it looked like Cease might be in contention for the AL Cy Young award, which could have influenced Toronto’s decision to start him in the series finale. However, with the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler seen as a virtual lock to take home the award, expect the Blue Jays to turn to a spot starter if they are eliminated.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 20: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Arizona Diamondbacks runs the bases after hitting a grand slam off relief pitcher Brent Headrick #47 of the New York Yankees during the fifth inning at Chase Field on September 20, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Recaps
[AZ Central] Diamondbacks live to fight another day with comeback win over Yankees – With a 2-0 count against Yankees lefty Brent Headrick, Arenado was a smidge in front of a fastball and pulled it barely foul, the ball sailing just a few feet to the left of the foul pole. He didn’t miss on the very next pitch, launching into the left field seats to give the Diamondbacks a 6-4 lead. “It was pretty cool, obviously, a big moment,” Arenado said. “It just felt good to come through. I feel like I haven’t come through a whole lot with runners in scoring position the way I would like to this year. It felt good to give us the lead and help us kind of take a deep breath a little bit.” In the eighth, he made a barehand grab of a Lombard roller and unleashed a perfect throw to first. “He gripped the baseball as he was picking it up,” Lovullo said. “He picked it up with two fingers. I said, ‘Did I just see what I thought I saw?’ He said, ‘Yes, I grip to throw on those types of plays.’
[Dbacks.com] Arenado’s 2nd-chance slam breathes life into D-backs’ postseason hopes – “The fact that we’ve won a lot of baseball games here over the past 10 years and put ourselves in a good position year after year after year to get to the big dance, I’m proud of that,” said Lovullo. “But that’s never the final destination. “If you’re looking at a full body of work, this state should be proud of what these players do and what they accomplish every single day. I know it’s not the 2001 team. We want to get there. I want to give that team company. I want this community, this state to talk about two baseball teams – that 2001 team and then the current team that’s won a world championship. It just takes a lot of work, and we’re going to figure this out.”
[SI] Corbin Burnes Blown off Mound in Disastrous 3rd Inning vs Yankees – Burnes has now allowed nine runs in 10.1 innings, for a 7.84 ERA, giving up five homers in the process. His velocity on the cutter, already down to a career low 92.7 coming into Sunday’s game, bottomed out at 90.9. The movement profile on his signature pitch is a shadow of it’s former self as well. Simply put, the cutter doesn’t cut right now. A right-handers cutter, by definition should break glove side. Fully 34% of his cutters thrown heading into today were actually moving to the arm side, not glove side. In Sunday’s outing, 19 of 39, 48% of cutters broke armside. During his peak years that number was about 2-3%, but had crept up to 11-16% in recent years prior to 2026.
[Burn City Sports] The Diamondbacks’ Wild Card hopes come down to these final six games – With six games left on their schedule, the D-Backs are four games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the final National League wild-card spot and five games behind the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, who are tied for the top wild-card positions. That leaves the club with one simple task: Win as many of its remaining six games as possible and hope the teams ahead of it give it enough of an opening. The first part is obvious, as Arizona now heads to Colorado to take on the Rockies for three games. Then, the Snakes will head to San Diego for their final three games of the regular season — and possibly the most important ones yet if they’re not eliminated by that time.The second part is harder.
[Sporting News] Nolan Arenado refusing to land on IL for Diamondbacks was a good thing – Arenado has been a solid contributor for the Diamondbacks overall this season, and it would make sense for Arizona to protect the veteran third baseman if he wasn’t 100%. But Arenado didn’t want to hit the injured list, refusing a potential placement on the IL. That refusal has been a major boost for Arizona. Since the start of September, roughly around when the Diamondbacks would’ve asked Arenado to hit the IL, he’s been one of the best hitters in MLB. In 16 games and 56 at-bats, Arenado has 18 hits, seven runs scored, two doubles, five home runs, nine RBIs, seven walks, a .321 batting average, and a 1.031 OPS. [Update: now six HR, 13 RBI and a slash of .317/.397/.650 for an OPS of 1.047]
[MLB.com] Red Sox clinch postseason spot that once seemed improbable – Five months ago, it was easy to wonder if chief baseball officer Craig Breslow made the right decision when he dismissed long-time manager Cora and dismissed or reassigned six coaches after just 27 games on a stunning Saturday night in Baltimore. There were no regrets or second guesses by Sunday… The road back to contention started with a four-game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway from June 25-28. It continued on July 3, when the Sox began what would become a winning streak of 15 games, tying the franchise record set by the 1946 pennant winners of Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky. And even after that streak was snapped, the Sox shortly thereafter ripped off another nine-game winning streak, giving them the best 30-game stretch (27-3) in team history.
[AP] Atlanta Braves clinch 7th NL East title in 9 years – “I told these guys winning the division is really tough,” [manager Walt] Weiss said. “I know it’s the first step, but it takes six months to do it. It takes everybody, and we used everybody. Virtually everyone that got an opportunity stepped up and helped us win games this year. Special group in that way. Very close group.” Atlanta has won 24 division titles, tying the Dodgers for the most since the inception of the divisional format in 1969. Atlanta has won the NL East 19 times in 32 seasons.” Just felt like they responded well to certain messages,” Weiss said. “I thought the way they competed was high-level stuff. I felt like the makeup of this team was really good. Coming off a tough year, I think a lot of it was getting them to believe that they were still really good.”
Hungry (2026)
Rating: C
Dir: James Nunn
Star: Madison Davenport, Joaquim de Almeida, Tracey Bonner, Michel Curiel
I get why the makers gave this the title they did – obviously a veiled reference to the game, ‘Hungry Hungry Hippos’. Yet I can’t help feeling they missed an opportunity. I mean, Hippocalypse Now was right there… The storyline is basic. A bunch of tourists go on a cruise, piloted by Rodrigo, looking for alligators. Only, something larger, nastier and more rotund shows up to overturn their boat and leave them stuck up trees, hoping for rescue. Fortunately, the hippo responsible is not the rare tree-climbing variety. Help, in the form of former big-game hunter Walker, is slow to arrive. This allows plenty of time for the stranded tourists to bicker with each other, reveal secrets, carry out poorly-considered actions, and fall out of the trees like so many over-ripe mangoes.
BROOKLYN, NY - MARCH 1: James Harden #1 and Head Coach Kenny Atkinson of the Cleveland Cavaliers talk during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on March 1, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Last regular season was a step backwards for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They struggled through injuries and lacked much of the cohesion that made them a 64-win juggernauts the year before.
It’d be easy to blame Kenny Atkinson for last regular season being a disappointment. Many of the things that worked the previous year simply didn’t this time. The Cavs never established an identity, the offense struggled to find flow, and key players like Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter couldn’t find their place within the offense early on. All of those things reflect poorly on the coaching staff.
Despite that, I would argue that Atkinson did a better job last season than he did when he won Coach of the Year.
Atkinson made the best of a bad situation. The Cavs had plenty of chances to throw in the towel but didn’t, thanks in part to Atkinson. They kept their heads above water until a trade came through to save their season.
Acquiring James Harden at the deadline for Darius Garland changed everything. Bringing in a talented and healthy point guard in Harden raised the Cavs’ floor and ceiling, making a deep postseason run possible. It also meant that they had to completely overhaul how they played just two months before the start of the playoffs.
Atkinson’s willingness to cede control of the offense to Harden’s heliocentric style allowed them to hit the ground running. Atkinson’s preferred motion-based offense that worked the year before was thrown out in favor of more traditional high pick-and-rolls.
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Schematics and in-game adjustments aren’t the most important skills for NBA coaches; establishing trust with your players and getting them to buy into your vision is. Atkinson did that by putting his personal preferences aside to do what was best for the players actually on his team.
“He’s the ultimate player’s coach, he gets it, he understands his team,” Harden said at the close of last postseason. “I think he did an unbelievable job of getting me acclimated as fast as possible.”
This all added to the Cavs’ most successful postseason run with this group as they advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2018. Yet, their inability to go further could be due to the fact that there wasn’t an identity to this team besides just Harden-centric basketball.
When things got difficult late in postseason games, the Cavs repeatedly just went to high pick-and-rolls without any alternatives. That worked late in Game 3 against the Detroit Pistons. It didn’t in the Game 1 collapse to the New York Knicks.
You could justify the team sticking to the basics given how chaotic last season was. You can’t anymore.
Atkinson has had a full summer with this backcourt. That’s more than enough time to figure out how he wants this offense to function — and more importantly — get both guards on board with executing that vision.
On top of that, Atkinson needs to figure out how to get Jarrett Allen and Mobley more involved on a consistent basis. We saw repeatedly in the playoffs that the Cavs were at their best when they were focal pieces of the attack and not just bystanders. Yet, getting them and the guards to realize this and make this a priority every game has been an overall losing battle. Changing that and getting the bigs into the flow of the game more consistently would do wonders for the Cavs on both ends of the floor.
The Cavs have been successful with Atkinson over the last two seasons; however, that might not be enough to shield him from being the fall guy if things go sideways this year. This team is all in on a two- to three-year window after trading away another first-round pick this summer and giving a 37-year-old $97 million guaranteed. If things go wrong, it’ll be much easier to change the coach than it would be to drastically overhaul the roster again.
This could be a make-or-break year for the Cavs. It almost certainly will be for Atkinson. He’s answered the call the last two seasons, putting this team in the best position to win. We’ll see if he can do so again in what will inevitably be a very different test than either of the previous two campaigns.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 14: Labaron Philon #00 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball during the game against the Houston Rockets on July 14, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Greathouse/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Much of the conversation around the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason has revolved around the star-studded projected starting five, with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown joining the incumbent trio of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe.
However, depth is vital over the course of a long NBA campaign. Mike Gansey addressed that issue in part with the free agent signings of Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons and Ariel Hukporti. With Wade and Simons in particular, those veterans bring known elements to the table that should prove valuable for the Sixers. Something that is more of an exciting unknown, though, is what role Labaron Philon will fill for this group with championship aspirations.
Taken with the 22nd overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Philon’s selection was well-graded by draft pundits. Some saw him as a projected lottery pick after an All-America Third Team sophomore season at Alabama that saw him average 22.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals. While evaluations formed in Vegas should largely stay in Vegas, Philon looked the part of an NBA player in averaging 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists across four appearances in Summer League.
While Philon was the main attraction for the Sixers in the desert, he’s extremely far down in the pecking order back east. He’s the clear fourth option at guard behind Maxey, Edgecombe and Simons, with James and Brown also assuming a ton of ball-handling responsibilities. On the one hand, it’s a positive that Philon won’t be thrown into the deep end right away to sink or swim. Conversely, there likely won’t be very many opportunities for the rookie to spread his wings and experiment with different parts of his game at the NBA level. (I’m recalling rookie Tyrese Maxey scoring 39 points in his first NBA start when the Sixers only had seven players available due to a COVID-19 outbreak.)
Part of me knows Philon isn’t of legal drinking age until November so there’s no harm in bringing him along slowly. However, I also have some scar tissue from Doc Rivers burying rookie Maxey on the bench far too often, and Nick Nurse not trusting Jared McCain to the extent that Daryl Morey felt compelled to trade him to recoup value (ironically now bringing Philon into the fold as a result). On the flip side, Nurse did give rookie VJ Edgecombe an obscene amount of minutes last season.
When it’s all said and done, the Sixers’ season isn’t going to be judged by the progression of Labaron Philon in his rookie season. If he proves ahead of schedule and can serve as a valuable rotation piece, all the better. Maybe Gansey can then use Simons as a trade chip at the deadline to shore up another area of need. More than likely, though, he’ll see spot minutes here and there, maybe even the occasional DNP-CD if everyone is healthy and available for a big game. Come next summer, we’ll hopefully have a couple key moments to look back upon as signs of bigger things to come and Philon can ascend to a third guard role next season.
SAN FRANCISCO – Expectations for the Warriors entering the 2026-27 NBA season are as low as they’ve been in years. That’s the way Gary Payton II likes it, too.
“It’s funny,” Payton said Sunday to NBC Sports Bay Area on the ninth floor of Chase Center. “It kind of gives, in a sense, a ‘22 feeling. We’re not expected to do anything, but we still got a pretty good veteran core, and we got some talented young guys.
“The goal this year, the motto for me, is stay healthy and have fun.”
Nobody saw a championship parade coming down Market Street going into the 2021-22 NBA season. They saw a Warriors team that didn’t have Kevin Durant anymore, still was without Klay Thompson recovering from an Achilles injury, questionable youth and a group of veteran castoffs. Payton sees the similarities five years later.
The Warriors’ last championship team was coming off a 39-win season that fell short of the playoffs. This season’s group is coming off a year of 37 wins and no date with the playoffs.
Steph Curry’s co-star, Jimmy Butler, is rehabbing from injury like Thompson was. But this team also has to deal with another major loss to injury in Moses Moody’s rehab.
When it comes to youth, the Warriors can hope Brandin Podziemski in Year 4 can take the kind of offensive leap Jordan Poole did in Year 3. Yaxel Lendeborg should be much more ready to contribute as a rookie than Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman or Moody ever were.
It actually might be Brandon Williams who reminds fans of Poole the most with the way he’s able to beat a defender off the dribble and get to the basket.
Payton, who will be 34 in December, just played 73 games last season, which was a new career high and his most since playing 71 in the Warriors’ championship season – the year he found the perfect team to keep his career alive as a fan favorite. Other role players surrounding Payton five seasons ago included Damion Lee, Kevon Looney, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Nemanja Bjelica and Otto Porter Jr.
Now, it’s more or less a group of veterans like De’Anthony Melton, Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford and Georges Niang.
Williams will be 27 in November, Charles Bassey will be 26 at the end of October, Lendeborg will be 24 at the end of September, as will Will Richard at the end of December, and Gui Santos is 24 all season. As Podziemski enters his fourth year as a pro, he still remains the youngest Warrior, turning 24 in late February.
“Down the line, young guys are gonna win some games for us and give our vet guys some time to rest and chill,” Payton said. “And when it’s time, when it matters, I think you know we’re always going to show up. We got 30 [Curry], we got [Draymond Green]. When we get Jimmy and we get Moses back, you never know.
“We just got to play the right ball until the right time and see what happens.”
The Warriors’ comeback win against the Los Angeles Clippers in the play-in tournament didn’t bring them another title. It didn’t even bring them an appearance in the playoffs after losing to the Phoenix Suns two days later. But it did bring them the taste of glory for one more game.
Curry scoring 35 points in a do-or-die situation, including 27 in the second half, was a reminder around the league and to themselves. As was Green’s incredible defense down the stretch, locking up Kawhi Leonard to seal the win. So were Porziņģis’ 20 points and monster putback dunk, Horford’s four threes in the fourth quarter, massive contributions from Podziemski (17 points) and Santos (20 points), and Payton’s two steals as a plus-8 to lead the bench.
Can they maintain that kind of performance for long stretches instead of a single game? Soon enough, we’ll find out. In the meantime, Payton and the rest of the Warriors are embracing the challenge of being completely counted out.
“It really doesn’t matter. If we get there, we got Wardell, we got Dray, we get a healthy Jimmy back and we got Al and KP,” Payton said. “You got problems if we’re all healthy when the time comes.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re eighth or we’re first, you got problems.”
NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 28: Cam Whitmore #22 of the Villanova Wildcats in action against the Seton Hall Pirates during a game at Prudential Center on February 28, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. Villanova defeated Seton Hall 76-72. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Former Villanova 5-star forward/wing — and Big East Freshman of the Year — Cam Whitmore is getting another shot in the NBA, this time with the Denver Nuggets. ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported the news on Friday:
The Denver Nuggets are signing 2023 first-round pick Cam Whitmore on a two-way NBA deal, sources tell ESPN. Whitmore enters his fourth NBA season after averaging 10.5 points and 3.3 rebounds over 119 career games — and has already joined the Nuggets for workouts in Denver. pic.twitter.com/WBhDfTIhOQ
Denver signed Whitmore to a one-year, two-way contract after the 22-year-old was traded from Washington to Cleveland in a five-team deal (which ironically involved the Nuggets) and was subsequently waived by the Cavaliers almost immediately.
Technically, Denver i Whitmore’s fourth NBA team in four years. Realistically, it’s his third stop. He never played for Cleveland, so I’m not counting that one as legitimate.
Either way, the former Villanova five-star has reached an interesting point in his young, once-promising career.
Whitmore’s career hasn’t exactly gone according to plan after being taken 20th overall by the Rockets in the 2023 Draft, but his production hasn’t been terrible either. He averaged 10.5 points in 17.3 minutes across 119 games with Houston and Washington. Per 36 minutes, his counting stats jump to 21.8 points and 6.8 rebounds. Not terrible.
The question in Denver will ultimately become whether he’s the type of player a good team with championship aspirations trusts with regular minutes or not.
Whitmore has a respectable 34.9% from three over his career that dipped to 28.6% during an injury-shortened season in Washington last year. He also only has 97 career assists (0.8 per game), which feeds the “tunnel vision” criticisms the 6-foot-6, 230-pounder hasn’t been able to shake thus far. He needs to show he can contribute elsewhere on the court, either through cutting/driving/slashing and using his brute strength and athleticism or by leaning into being a secondary playmaker.
But playing with superstar center Nikola Jokic could also be exactly what Whitmore needs to finally take off.
Whitmore still has all the good that made him a first-round pick in 2023. He shot 54% from inside the arc last season and remains a dangerous finisher around the basket. In Denver, he won’t need to create everything himself. Cut, run the floor, knock down open threes and don’t stop the offense when the ball finds him.
Then there’s defense. Whitmore doesn’t need to suddenly become the defensive player Peyton Watson was for the Nuggets, but becoming more serviceable on that end would make it considerably easier for Denver to find minutes for him.
His talent has never really been the issue. Whitmore now needs to show he can complement other talented players instead of simply being one himself. If he does, Denver could finally be where his NBA career gets back on track. Nova Nation will be rooting for him.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Jake Cronenworth #9 of the San Diego Padres hits a two-run home run against the Miami Marlins during the eighth inning at Petco Park on September 20, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jake Cronenworth extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning and he added a second two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead the San Diego Padres to a 7-3 win, and season sweep, over the Miami Marlins at Petco Park on Sunday.
Cronenworth, who got the start at third base to allow Manny Machado to have a DH day, held his own at the hot corner, but it was his offensive performance that stood out. Cronenworth put the Padres on the board with a two-run home run that gave them a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. He later added an RBI-double in the bottom of the fourth inning to make the score 3-0, and added a second two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning that put the game out of reach, giving San Diego a four-run lead.
The offensive outburst by Croneworth was in support of Padres starting pitcher Walker Buehler, who had one of his best starts of the season. His final line is a bit misleading thanks to a three-run home run by Javier Sanoja that pulled Miami within a run with the score 4-3. Buehler had been cruising through his outing and was trying to complete seven innings, but he was pulled after the home run. He finished with a final line of three runs allowed over 6.2 innings. Buehler allowed three hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
The Padres’ offense allowed Buehler to work with a lead throughout the game and even after he allowed the home run to Sanoja in the top of the seventh, Fernando Tatis Jr. offered an immediate response in the bottom of the inning. The superstar connected on a one-out solo home run, giving him 25 homers on the season, that pushed the San Diego lead to 5-3 before Cronenworth added on in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The hot hitting that seemed to take off when the Padres went to Colorado continued in the series finale with the Marlins. San Diego banged out 10 more hits to give them 33 hits throughout the three-game series with Miami. The output at Petco Park over the weekend followed the four-game series against the Rockies where the Padres totaled 52 hits.
With the win, the magic number for San Diego to clinch a playoff berth is two. Any combination of Padres wins and Arizona Diamondbacks losses that equal two will put the Friars in the playoffs. That could come as early as their next game if the Padres win and the Diamondbacks lose. San Diego remains tied with the Chicago Cubs for the top Wild Card spot and one game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Cubs hold the tiebreaker of over the Padres thanks to their head-to-head record this season.
San Diego has the day off today, but travels to Los Angeles for a three-game series against the Dodgers, which begins Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - SEPTEMBER 20: Members of the Boston Red Sox celebrate in the clubhouse after the Red Sox clinch a Wild Card spot after the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Sunday, September 20, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Alex Zadorozny/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Red Sox have clinched a postseason spot. It was… anticlimactic.
The Sox allowed 4 runs before recording a single out yesterday and never made it a competitive game against the Rays, only securing their playoff berth via the Braves defeat of the Astros. They are just 9-8 over the month of September and have dropped each of the last 2 series. The team’s OPS+ of 84 is the lowest monthly mark they’ve posted all season — yes, even worse than the dreadful April (albeit just barely).
After a remarkable roller coaster of a season, we find ourselves in a weird spot. In terms of on-field results, nothing of consequence has really happened this month. The most important things that are happening relative to the Red Sox right now are happening in the trainer’s room. Will Willson Contreras and Ceddanne Rafaela recover in time for the playoffs? Can Roman Anthony find his rhythm after a lengthy injury stint? What can Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck do, if anything, to salvage two otherwise lost seasons?
But the sting of Champagne last night was real. Playoff baseball is coming. And the truth of the matter is that if the Sox give us a memorable October, we won’t care how September felt.
Use this space to talk about whatever you want and, as always, be good to one another.
Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) connects with a pitch during the fifth inning of the Cleveland Guardians' home opener against the Chicago White Sox, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
The Guardians managed to sweep the Athletics this weekend and their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is 3 with 6 to play. (Magic number is six to win the division and get a first round bye).
Zack Meisel and T.J. Zuppe covered the playoff scenarios on the Selby is Godcast today.
We are rooting for the Royals and then Rockies, the Mariners and the Athletics, the Mets and the Twins, and the Orioles and Reds. We want the White Sox, Rangers, Astros and Blue Jays to lose, in other words.
